Blue-white giant · Carina
ω Carinae
Also known as: ω Car, HIP 50099
mag 3.3340 light-years
About
ω Carinae is a blue-white giant of magnitude 3.3 in Carina, about 340 light-years away.
How to find it
- ω Carinae is in the constellation Carina.
- Best evenings: around early April it is highest at about 9 pm (10 pm in summer time); a month earlier, two hours later.
- Where on Earth: it is seen well, at least 10° up, from south of 10° N.
- Star patterns: Diamond Cross.
When it rises and sets tonight, how high it climbs and how much the Moon gets in the way are worked out in your browser for your place.
What you will see
- EyesVisible from the suburbs on a clear night, but lost in bright city skies.
- Binoculars (10×50)A sharp point; binoculars bring out its colour and the fainter stars around it.
- Telescope (6–8 inch)Still a point of light at any magnification — stars are too far away to show a disc. Low in the sky, bright stars twinkle and flash colours.
Stars look the same in any instrument: brighter and sharper, but never bigger.
Facts
| Designation | ω Carinae (ω Car) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 50099 |
| Type | Blue-white giant |
| Spectral type | B8III |
| Colour | WhiteB−V colour index −0.07 |
| Magnitude | 3.3The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 340 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1680. |
| Proper motion | 0.036″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Carina |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 13m 44.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | −70° 02′ 16″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →